Simple Thoughts

  First, to the woman who has never experienced motherhood, or if that experience was way too short, please know this: You are no less of a woman. You are a beautiful, unique individual just like women everywhere. We all have things that we have learned along the way. Life brings us so many different experiences regardless of if that path includes mothering. Joys... aches... grief... surprises, both good and bad... skills acquired... people to love, etc. We all have a journey. We all have a story. And we all can use our lessons to help others learn they aren’t alone in the journey. But I would like to say this, if you are not a mother and wish to be, or have had miscarriages or problems getting pregnant, and you would like prayer for that area, please message me. I would love to join you on your journey and pray for you. You aren’t forgotten. Now. What I have learned seven years into mothering. I learned that birth plans are great but the most important th...

After Jesus rose from the dead, he appeared to some of his disciples. Thomas, one of the disciples, wasn’t there though. So when the disciples said they had seen him, he said he needed proof. Thomas wanted to actually put his finger into the print of the nails to really believe. Eight days later, Jesus showed up again. Check this out.  John 20:27-29  Then He said to Thomas, "Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing." And Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus said to him, "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." Listen. Jesus didn’t scold Thomas for wanting to believe. I truly believe Thomas wanted to but needed some proof. He wasn’t just going to take someone’s word for it. He wanted to experience it. Others had an experience. He needed one to truly believe.  ...

I hate getting blood drawn. I don’t like it. It’s uncomfortable. It hurts to get stuck, and frankly, I just find it annoying to have to go to the lab and have someone put me through mild pain. Because I value my family though and want to be healthy for them, I went and got a physical. The doctor asked if I wanted my blood drawn for tests. I hate it, but said yes. The reason I said yes? I want to know what’s going on in the inside of me. If my body is lacking something or fighting some kind of unseen battle, I want to know about it so I can deal with it. I want to be there for my family and live a healthy life. So I did it. It took a couple weeks to make it in... because... well, the summer life happened. But I finally made time and went in to the lab. Guess what. It hurt to get stuck. It was inconvenient and annoying to fast for the 8-10 hours before (especially when Girl Scout cookies in my freezer were calling my name). But I lived and moved on with my day. Eventual...

There’s a tropical storm coming for Florida. It’s a few days before hurricane season, but here it comes anyways. On our to-do list before all the heavy rain comes was to pick all the ripe blueberries off our bushes. 10-12 bushes out in our backyard that Adam had planted over the years. I’ve always enjoyed going out, fighting off the mosquitoes and getting a small bowl of blueberries to eat that afternoon with the kids. I took a big bowl out this time though since I was going to check all the plants in the garden to harvest anything before the storm. I picked some cherry tomatoes and a couple stray green beans. I found a handful of blackberries. Then I made my way to the blueberry bushes.  I started picking. It was barely drizzling rain. Then I kept picking. Wow. I thought to myself that the bushes were way more loaded than I thought. The rain picked up a little. The breeze was getting a little more than a light breeze. But what a refreshing, steady rain. I kept picking. J...

I’ve hiked a little ways on a mountain in Colorado before. I don’t remember getting winded or having a hard time. Last week, I did more than hike. I stayed on a mountain. For six days. My usual 250 feet above sea level went to 9,000 feet above sea level. I realized something. It was something I had read about, and people had told me, and I knew might actually happen. But it’s different when it actually happens to you. Truth is, I think most of us tend to think we will be able to handle it. We think there’s no way it would happen to us. But y’all. My body didn’t know what to do with itself. The air was dry to my skin, but that was the least of my problem. My heart would be pounding in my chest even while sleeping. My body was having to work so hard for things that should be commonplace like walking or going up steps. After five days, I finally felt normal. I had finally acclimated.... just in time for me to leave a day later.  It was a great example of a lesson God ha...

A couple months in to starting CrossFit, my gym did an in-house version of the Open (which they do every fall).   We did workouts that counted towards the competition on a weekly basis for a handful of weeks.   My only goal for those weeks was to not be last on the final rankings. I actually figured I would be last since I had just started, but I figured shooting for “not last” was a good goal.   When the final rankings came out, I was second to the last and I was ecstatic.   Following that Open, the gym had a one-day competition to mirror the “Regionals” level for the top athletes from the Open.   I knew there was no way I would get to compete in that unless a ton of people wouldn’t be able to make it that day, but I was just excited I would get to cheer for Adam, so I was happy.   But then I got an e-mail.   Four months in to CrossFit.   *Gulp* I was terrified, but I figured it would be fun.   So Adam and I both signed up to comp...